The Art of the Handwritten Letter: Part One

From time to time I open up this wooden box of “treasures” that I have stored. These treasures are letters and cards that I have wanted to save—letters from my grandparents and parents, notes from friends (including a few cute ones from my elementary school days), and letters from my husband. There is something timeless about these notes, they bring back fond memories and they will most likely outlast me.

In the days of cell phones, email, and text messages, letter writing can seem terribly slow and outdated. It is an art to treasured. There is something so wonderful, personal and tactile about a letter. Think about how excited you get when you receive a letter in the mail. Opening the letter offers something more than the barrage of emails.

Writing a letter also offers more of an experience than even a phone call can offer. First, it is an experience than lasts. It can be revisited over and over. Second, there is no word limit or time limit. Social Media limits us to a certain numbers of letter and even the deepest of thoughts are cut short by limits. When it comes to sharing my deepest thoughts, my interests, sympathies, my ardent love, and my deepest gratitude, words traveling along an invisible superhighway just won’t do.

No, when that pen hits the paper I am giving a part of myself- more than my time or just my words. Something tangible from your world travels through machines and hands, and deposits itself in another person’s mailbox. Your letter is then carried inside as an invited guest. The paper that was sitting on your desk, now sits on another’s. The recipient handles the paper that you handled. Letters create a connection that modern, impersonal forms of communication will never approach.

“Letter writing is the only device for combining solitude with good company.” –Lord Byron

Yes emails are much quicker and cheaper. They work for the every day things, but when you want to send something truly special, send a handwritten note.